That Forssa store is likely a well-established location, as the Hurrikaani store was opened in 2007. The Nokia and Ylöjärvi stores were opened in the fall of 2018 in former Löytötavaratalo commercial premises. Löytötavaratalo ceased its business operations in Nokia and Ylöjärvi in the spring of 2018. According to news reports, Löytötavaratalo was burdened by weak cash flow and a heavy cost structure, and the company’s owner, Monetanet, eventually went bankrupt in the fall of 2019.
Hurrikaani Oy seems to have been satisfied with the sales of the Ylöjärvi store. According to news reports, Hurrikaani expanded the store’s floor area by 1,400 square meters in 2020.
“We have launched a project in which the sales area of our department store will increase by 1,400 square meters. This is a significant expansion of our premises, says Juha-Pekka Iso-oja.”
Source: Ylöjärven Uutiset 22.12.2020, paywall
Ylöjärven Uutiset reported on the opening of the Hurrikaani department store in Ylöjärvi in June 2018. This article is free to read: Hurrikaani asettui Ylöjärvelle - Ihmiset ja ilmiöt - Ylöjärven Uutiset
- According to the article, Hurrikaani’s owners have long experience in importing consumer goods. The founders are mentioned as a father and two brothers.
- The concept is based on stores with a large floor area and a diverse selection. According to the article, the Ylöjärvi department store has over 50,000 products for sale. One-fifth of the products are own imports. The online store was established in 2009.
- According to the article, the extensive product range has significant variation between the winter and summer seasons, and some of the goods are sometimes stored waiting for their own season.
If the information in those news articles is correct, Hurrikaani’s product range would be slightly larger than that of Puuilo stores. The large number of seasonal products might somewhat level out that difference compared to Puuilo. Puuilo’s 2022 sustainability report states that the product range includes over 30,000 items.
I looked a bit at the selection of Tavaratalo Hurrikaani’s online store. I found a surprisingly wide range of various Makita and Ryobi tools there. The selection also included a couple of DeWalt cordless drills and Stanley equipment, which are also found in Puuilo.
Regarding Asian imports, the Hurrikaani department store’s online store featured, for example, the brands Castor, Rongpeng, Duro, and Nordland, for which Scandic Trading House is listed as the importer. The products included, among other things, nailers, compressors, construction heaters, hydraulic presses, etc.
According to the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH) register extract, the chairman of the board of Hurrikaani Oy is Lasse Salomaa. He also serves as the CEO of the importing company Oy Scandic Trading House Ltd. The company states on its website (www.scandic.cc) that it imports a “selection of over 1,000 products” and that the member stores own the importing company. Owners include, among others, Keuruun Megamarket and Kauhavan Halpakauppa. Hurrikaani Oy likely also belongs to Scandic’s owners, as according to the PRH register extract, the CEO of Hurrikaani Oy is a member of Scandic’s board.
(Source: https://virre.prh.fi/ → Search by Business ID: 2132449-3 → Electronic register extract)
Earlier in the 2010s, Puuilo also belonged to Scandic Trading’s owners, and Markku Tuomaala was the chairman of Scandic’s board. Based on the financial data of the importer Scandic, the last two financial years have been weak. The weakness of the importing company does not necessarily always reflect directly on the member stores, but for some reason, Hurrikaani Oy’s profit has turned downwards despite the growth in revenue.
Someone seems to be eating into the profits of both companies. Does it say something about the fact that in the discount retail business, the living space for smaller players is narrowing in this tough volume business?
Source: https://www.finder.fi/Rautakauppa/Tavaratalo+Hurrikaani/Forssa/yhteystiedot/1610471
Source: https://www.finder.fi/Agentuuriliike/Scandic+Trading+House+Oy+Ltd/Forssa/yhteystiedot/1616096